Shloka 19
Adhyāya 10: Śrutakarmā’s Engagements; Prativindhya–Citra Duel; Drauṇi Advances toward Bhīma
हते भीष्मे च द्रोणे च कर्णो जेष्यति पाण्डवान् | तामाशां हृदये कृत्वा समाश्च॒स्य च भारत,भरतनन्दन! भीष्म और द्रोणाचार्यके मारे जानेपर कर्ण पाण्डवोंको जीत लेगा, इस आशाको हृदयमें रखकर दुर्योधनको बड़ी सान्त्वना मिली। महाराज! वह अभश्व॒त्थामाके उस प्रिय वचनको सुनकर बड़ा प्रसन्न हुआ। तत्पश्चात् अपने बाहुबलका आश्रय ले मनको सुस्थिर करके दुर्योधनने राधापुत्र कर्णसे बड़े प्रेम और सत्कारके साथ अपने लिये हितकर यथार्थ और मंगलकारक वचन इस प्रकार कहा--
sañjaya uvāca | hate bhīṣme ca droṇe ca karṇo jeṣyati pāṇḍavān | tām āśāṃ hṛdaye kṛtvā samāśvasya ca bhārata ||
Sañjaya said: “When Bhīṣma and Droṇa have been slain, Karṇa will conquer the Pāṇḍavas.” Holding fast to this hope within his heart, O Bhārata, Duryodhana took comfort. The verse highlights how, amid the moral and strategic collapse caused by the fall of revered elders, Duryodhana steadies himself not through reflection on dharma but through reliance on a projected future victory—an ethically fraught consolation rooted in ambition and attachment to power.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates how hope can function as psychological refuge in crisis, yet also how such hope may be ethically compromised when it ignores the moral weight of elders’ deaths and clings to victory as the sole measure of right. It contrasts inner steadiness grounded in dharma with steadiness grounded in ambition and dependence on a champion.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Duryodhana, shaken by the fall of Bhīṣma and Droṇa, consoles himself by believing that Karṇa will now defeat the Pāṇḍavas. This hope restores Duryodhana’s composure and sets the stage for his renewed reliance on Karṇa.